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South Korea captures soldier accused of killing 5

Published on NewsOK
Modified: June 23, 2014 at 5:33 am •
Published: June 23, 2014

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean army captured a soldier Monday who it says killed five comrades and then fled into the forest where he holed up with a rifle for two days before shooting himself as pursuers closed in.

A wounded South Korean soldier who killed five comrades in a shooting incident on a stretcher is carried from an ambulance upon arrival at a hospital in Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, June 23, 2014. The South Korean army captured the soldier Monday who it says killed five comrades and then fled into the forest where he holed up with a rifle for two days before shooting himself as pursuers closed in. The massive manhunt ended when the 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Yim, shot himself in the upper left chest as his father and brother approached, pleading with him to surrender, a Defense Ministry official said. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Lee Sang-hack) KOREA OUT

The massive manhunt ended when the 22-year-old sergeant, surnamed Yim, shot himself in the upper left chest as his father and brother approached, pleading with him to surrender, a Defense Ministry official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules, said Yim was taken to a hospital but his life wasn't in danger. He didn't elaborate.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the soldier would be handed to military investigators later. Soldiers retrieved Yim's rifle and ammunition at the site.

South Koreans have worried about public safety in the wake of an April ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing. And some in Seoul have questioned the discipline and readiness of South Korea's military in the face of near-constant threats from North Korea, which has recently staged missile and artillery drills, traded fire with the South at sea and threatened South Korea's leader.

Troops had been chasing Yim since authorities said he killed five fellow soldiers and wounded seven Saturday night. He then fled his frontline unit with his standard-issue K2 assault rifle.

He fired Sunday on the soldiers chasing him, injuring a platoon leader. On Monday, officials said a South Korean soldier was wounded by suspected friendly fire.

Earlier Monday, troops surrounding Yim in the forest tossed him a mobile phone so he could talk to his father. They also threw him bread and bottled water. His parents went to the area to try to persuade him to surrender.

It wasn't clear what triggered the rampage; there was no indication that South Korea's bitter rival, North Korea, was involved.